My entire life, the Gerber baby has been exactly that - the Gerber baby. The same black and white sketch has filled their marketing advertisement, their labels, and our grocery stores.

How many of you knew that the original Gerber baby that we all know and love recently celebrated her 91st birthday? Crazy!

I have never been proud of Gerber, personally, as it really has made no direct impact on my life who the Gerber baby is. I'm sure a lot of us feel that way.

Well, I think it is the time that we take some pride in Gerber.

There have been numerous baby photo contests hosted by Gerber over the years, honestly, we don't even get reports about most of the winners.

This year - something special happened.

Gerber announced for the first time in its history that the baby photo contests winner was Lucas, a baby diagnosed with down syndrome.

When asked about their winner, Gerber stated:

Lucas' winning smile and joyful expressison won our hearts this year, and we are all thrilled to name him our 2018 Spokesbaby. Every year, we choose the baby who best exemplifies Gerber's longstanding heritage of recognizing that every baby is a Gerber baby, and this year, Lucas is the perfect fit."

I have grown up in a family that has gotten to love and experience how special children with special needs truly are. Due to it being so normal in my family, I never really stopped to think about how little they are portrayed in commercials, advertising, and in simple day to day life.

Gerber has been around for decades now. Decades.

And this is the first Spokesbaby with down syndrome?

Think about how truly big of a milestone this is for the special needs community.

Every day, every week - we truly get closer to social equality.

I am so so proud of Gerber and their decision to make Lucas their 2018 Spokesbaby. I'm proud to write about a company who has chosen to take the stand that every baby is a Gerber baby, not just those without special needs.

As Lucas' mom said,

We hope this opportunity sheds light on the special needs community and educates people that with acceptance and support, individuals with special needs have the potential to change the world -- Just like our Lucas!

I mean seriously, look at that grin! How could you not pick him?